


threaded through time

by wyvernknighted



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Lucisev week, Lucisev week 2021, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29599404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvernknighted/pseuds/wyvernknighted
Summary: The night before Naga's ritual, Lucina comforts Severa. Severa is afraid they will be separated in the past, but Lucina reassures her that they will meet again. She promises to find her in the past, no matter what it takes.posted for day 1 of Lucisev week for the prompts fates and future
Relationships: Lucina/Serena | Severa
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	threaded through time

**Author's Note:**

> hello happy lucisev week, I love the girls so I wrote a little multichapter for them! 
> 
> The prompts for this day are Fates and Future, but my fulfillment of them is a bit interpretive (it's there if you squint)

Lucina found her lingering in the training grounds, her hand trembling around the hilt of her blade. She still swung, still landed her hit with enough force to send the training dummy flying with a dull thud to the ground. Lucina thought Severa hadn’t noticed her at first, from the way her back remained turned, her eyes trained forward at some imagined foe. But when she neared enough to almost touch her, when she did touch her and was not met with a flinch or even a hint of surprise, just a stillness, almost like waiting or holding of one’s breath, she understood. Severa had been forcing her gaze away, far too aware of her presence. And yet, she stayed.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Then rest with me.”

“Is that really—” Severa’s eyes finally shot up, hot brands lit up in the torchlight. Against the night sky, she was ablaze before Lucina. Lucina met her half-asked question with a nod, a steady smile.

“Yes. I am offering. Is it okay with you?”

Severa sniffed. “…Sure. Fine.” She turned away, walking past Lucina towards the interior of the castle.

It was the night before Naga’s ritual. They had decided that this timeline was doomed after they failed to secure the fire emblem and gather the remaining stones needed to complete the Awakening. So the alternative that Naga had informed them of, that they had pinned their hopes to, was the past – a reset of sorts. Each of them had their misgivings about such a plan. It undermined the value of this world they had fought so hard for. Regardless of the true blame, each of them shouldered a certain amount of personal guilt. Lucina’s own feelings weighted her down, almost bent her back forward with the strain of it all. At least that was something that Severa understood too, a weight she felt on her own shoulders.

After they returned to their quarters, they dressed down with backs turned. Neither of them wore small clothes to bed, opting instead for day wear that could function as light armor should the risen breach the castle walls in the middle of the night. Noire and Inigo should be on the night watch right now, so they had a good chance of hearing it coming. But it wouldn’t be the first time they were surprised by a new wave of enemies in the middle of the night. Especially since the risen have been restless lately. Perhaps they could feel the despair of Lucina’s troops, as she and her allies have now finally given up on this world. Drawn to it like flies to rotting meat, the risen have been more and more active with each passing day. So when Severa and Lucina went to bed, it was with the knowledge that they may have to sleep lightly, that their body may lack true rest.

They had shared a bed before – as children, before the war was so bad, they would have sleepovers from time to time. Severa had been lonely, insisting that they share a bed because it was warmer that way. And then when they were older, it was sharing a bedroll on the war campaign, pitching the same tent to save room. Sleeping next to Severa was nothing new to Lucina. The only thing that separated this time from those many others was the fate that awaited them tomorrow. The possibility of separation, should the ritual go awry.

Lucina pushed away such thoughts as she joined Severa in bed, blotting out the last candle without a word. They rarely needed them when they were this tired, exhaustion needling down to their bones. Severa had claimed restlessness, but Lucina knew the curve of fatigue in her shoulders, could feel the tremors in her hands of overwork. Perhaps that was why Lucina felt the need to thread an arm around her waist, pulling her just a bit closer.

Severa’s breath caught in the night and Lucina realized her action halfway through. “Is this okay?” she whispered.

“Yeah, just—” Severa relaxed in her grip with a sigh. “Warn a girl next time.”

“Right, my apologies.” Lucina’s chin brushed her shoulder. “I wasn’t thinking it through.”

“Yeah, that much is clear.” Severa’s laugh was humorless, edged. Lucina smiled at it nonetheless, because a laugh was a laugh. In a world as cursed as theirs, she’ll take what she can get.

For a moment they were silent, the time passing slowly. Lucina’s breathing had just begun to lengthen, stretching into something close to slumber when Severa’s voice woke her once more.

“I’m scared.” She said, simply. Lucina might’ve asked her of what if the answer were not so obvious. And yet, she was unclear.

“Of tomorrow?” Lucina guessed. She apparently guessed right, as Severa nodded against her, strands of her long hair brushing against Lucina’s nose with the motion.

“I mean, who has time traveled before? Like, actually?” Severa said. “Laurent said there’s theory, but no one’s done it before. Just because it’s divine power doesn’t mean it’s absolute. So…I’m afraid. What if it doesn’t work?”

Lucina shrugged and then realized that would not suffice as an answer. “We cross that bridge when we get there. If it doesn’t work, we will figure it out.”

Severa sighed, and Lucina squeezed her arm on impulse. “Hey,” she murmured into Severa’s shoulder. “We’ll work something out. If anyone can handle it, it’s our band of Shepherds. We’ve been—”

“—through hell and back, I know.” Severa said the words tiredly, but Lucina still heard the afterthought of affection in her voice as she recited it. It was the phrase Kjelle always threw at them before a tough battle, so they both knew them well. But the warmth in Severa's tone disappeared with her next words. “It’s just…Lucina, what if it goes wrong? What if we get sent back too far? What if we get separated and I…never see you again?” She finished her last question in a small voice. Severa had not allowed Lucina to see her this fragile in a while. Lucina chose her next words carefully.

“Should that come to pass, know that I will spend the rest of my days searching for you.” Lucina said, her tone even. “I will find you, Severa. No matter what it takes, I will make sure that we reunite again. You have my word.”

There were several moments of silence before Severa’s sharp reply. “You’re not all powerful, y’know.” She muttered. “Even you have your limits.”

“Even so, I will do all that is within my power.” Lucina was unwavering. She wanted to pull Severa closer, but suppressed the impulse. “I promise.”

Severa was so tense before her, she could feel from the tightness of her back against her arm. She heard the click of Severa’s jaw, a bad habit from younger years that she’d never quite grown out of. Lucina waited in the silence, wondering if that was that. But after several long moments, Severa finally spoke.

“Thank you, Lucina.” It was swift, the warmth in her voice ephemeral like the heat of the sun evaporating at dusk, but Lucina still caught it. Still knew where to look for it. She tightened her grip around Severa’s waist, pulling her slightly closer. A surprised inhale from Severa, as if she had forgotten they were nearly entwined. But then she relaxed in Lucina’s arms, her muscles softening after a long day of battle. Even Severa found time to be soft, in the moments just before rest. Lucina knew that she’d only see this side of her rarely, as they didn’t frequently bed together. Only on nights like these, when solitude was unbearable, the weight of their uncertain future burdening their hearts with its undeniable presence.

Just as her father had espoused, it was bonds upon which they drew their strength. It was that strength Lucina found now, with Severa enclosed in her grasp. In their small, shared world, she was at peace, if just for one night.

* * *

They trailed into the room, some in pairs, some in sets of three. Yarne clung to Brady’s side, towering behind the hunched priest’s silhouette. Inigo tried to make Noire smile, though she could only offer him a tired look. Laurent checked in with Gerome, reviewing the information that he had presented to Lucina that same morning. The two conversed while Minerva rested against the floor, flicking her tail against the cold marble of the castle. She hated enclosed spaces like this, that much was obvious from her attitude. Cynthia, Owain, and Kjelle bickered over their latest achievements in battle, each trying to prove their worth over the others. All the while, Nah and Morgan relaxed on the fringes, watching the others converse, some worn, some vibrant. All on edge, now that their fate was fast approaching.

Lucina gravitated towards Severa, as she often did. She had woken up that morning beside her, and though they parted ways briefly to prepare, the absence sat like a leaden weight upon her chest. She was just beginning to realize what separation might feel like from Severa. How long must she wait before they were reunited? She hoped, dumbly, that perhaps they might return in the same slice of time and space. That their fated bond would thread them through like two strands tied to the same needle. She was not naïve enough to truly believe it, but the thought comforted her for at least a moment.

As the sky above them lightened ever so slightly, a sign of midday, they assembled together. Naga had told them, they needed to stay close during the ritual for it to send all of them back properly. They each wore their armor, weapons sheathed at their sides. Lucina donned her mask, a gift from Gerome. It would prove useful in obscuring her identity in the past, since there was little she could do about her branded gaze.

She noticed Severa staring at her out of the corner of her eye and turned to glance at her. “Something wrong?”

“You planning on wearing your hair down?” Severa asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I…” Lucina hesitated. “I suppose it would be wise to come up with a more detailed disguise.”

“Here.” Severa stepped behind her, pulling her hair back. “Let me pin it up real quick.”

Lucina almost nodded before realizing that in doing so, she’d only tug her hair out of Severa’s grasp. She settled for a quick affirmative, just enough to let Severa know of her approval. Severa’s sure hands, experienced with the handling long hair, deftly pulled her hair into a style which gave off the illusion of shortness. Lucina could feel the cold air on the back of her neck. She tried shaking her head lightly, to see if it would fall away. But the pins stayed in place, her hair secured with just a few strategically hidden clips.

“This is perfect.” She mused, turning to face Severa. “Thank you, friend.”

“Of course. I know my stuff when it comes to hair care,” Severa replied with a little wink. Lucina was about to respond before her attention shifted to their environment, as it began to glow blue. Piles of rubble and debris from past attacks of Grima’s troops were cast in the azure light. Wisps of blue circled around the room, converging in the hall’s center. The strands knitted together to form her, the Divine Dragon, Naga. Even with her waning power in this world, she was an imposing figure, dwarfing Lucina and her allies easily.

“My children,” She said. “The time has come for our ritual…to reset the past, to reach a new future. Are you ready?”

Together, they answered as one – a chorus of affirmation, voices discordantly expressing the same sentiment. They were bonded together, as allies, friends, and the last remnants of this world.

“It shall take some amount of time to charge this spell,” Naga explained. “Please be patient, my children. Do not leave this room, and do not separate from one another. We shall find your peace yet.”

For a few moments, they rested in amicable silence. It was a brief moment of respite, amidst Naga’s steadily increasing glow. But their tranquility was interrupted by the clamor of metal against metal, as the doors to their chamber rattled.

“What was that?” Noire jumped, startled. She pulled her bow against her chest.

“I…I’m afraid I do not know what that could—” Laurent’s words were cut off as the door rattled once more, this time with even more force, somehow. The doors were thrown off of their hinges and a wave of risen rushed into the empty space.

“Everyone,” Lucina cried, drawing Falchion in one smooth stroke. “Stay together and defend this room!” She dove to the front of the ambush, sword plunging into the core of the nearest Risen. It speared itself on her blade, face halting just inches from hers. Its red eyes glowed against the blue of the room before dimming, its body collapsing into a cloud of dust. Lucina flicked her sword as if to rid it of its latest kill and moved on to her next target. She dodged an axe, parried a sword, then fell back to find her next opening. The room was overstuffed with Risen, the air thick with their stilted breath.

No matter how much she tried to focus, Lucina could not watch out for all of her allies. She stepped back and her shoulder bumped against Severa’s. Even in battle, they rarely strayed from each other’s sides. Lucina caught the gleam of metal, bright in the divine dragon’s light, and stood between the blade and Severa’s back. She held the blow for a tense moment, her strength tested against the undead’s. Then Severa heard her grunt, noticed her strained position, and finished the risen with a brutal slice through the chest. Its body disintegrated and Lucina released her stance with a grunt.

For a moment, the ranks of risen stilled. It seemed they had not brought the full size of their forces. However, she could tell that this was Grima in the death throes of a dying world, trying to squeeze the last vestiges of life from its carcass. Perhaps he had caught wind of their plan, or perhaps it was merely bad timing.

“You have done well,” Naga said from the center of the room. “The ritual is nearly complete. You all must remain closely together as the spell is cast, remember.”

Lucina was in the middle of checking that everyone was nearby, their weapons at hand, when she felt a tug on her wrist. She turned to see Severa with an odd expression on her face.

“Look, Lucina, if I don’t get the chance to tell you this…” Severa sighed, and Lucina realized with a blink that she was flushed from emotion not from battle. She frowned.

“What do you mean, Severa?”

“Oh my gods, do I have to spell it out for you?” Severa was holding her hand tightly now. “I…” The light began to brighten around them, blue swirling into threads of green. She seemed to form her resolve at that, the last moments of their time together spurring her to act. Severa leaned forward, lips brushing Lucina’s in a moment as quick as blink. But it had happened, the touch gentle yet definitely real. “I love you, Lucina.”

Before Lucina could reply, before she could even think, the light brightened even more to a stark white. The last thing she felt as she traveled through time was Severa’s grip on her hand, the tightness of her fingers pressed against her own palm. Severa’s touch faded against Lucina’s side, the impression of her phantom breath disappearing like vapor.

The words Lucina didn’t have the chance to voice, but knew as true as her own heartbeat, rang out in her mind, a lonesome cry against the howl of time.

_I love you too, Severa._

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have a consistent update schedule in mind, I'm just going to update it when I can (so make sure to subscribe if you want to see the next chapter!)
> 
> find me [on twitter](https://twitter.com/wyvernknighted) clowning over fe:a in 2021


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